


Like A Moth To A Flame

by snakecompanion (autisticmockingjay)



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games (Movies)
Genre: F/F, cloveniss - Freeform, clovniss, drabble sort of, written whilst sleep deprived
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-06
Updated: 2018-12-06
Packaged: 2019-09-12 13:29:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16873749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/autisticmockingjay/pseuds/snakecompanion
Summary: Clove is drawn to Katniss despite it being a terrible idea. This is a few moments detailing her thoughts throughout the games.(Written on 18th December 2017)





	Like A Moth To A Flame

The training centre is empty apart from the two of us, everyone else has already left for the night. I can see her from across the room, diligently tying knots checking the screen periodically to make sure she’s got it right. 

My feet carry me forwards without a second thought. Something inside me drawn to her. She looks up curiously when I stop by her taking a piece of rope casually.  
Her eyes harden when she recognises me mistrust showing in her eyes as clear as day. She says nothing turning back to her knots. I stare at her braid perfectly tied much like the knots she’s already finished.

When I try to speak my voice makes no sound. I swallow this is unlike me, I am a Career. Bold, fearless and yet the sight of this girl renders me speechless. She glances at me once more seemingly annoyed that I stand next to her just staring.

“What do you want?” She asks, her voice carrying a dangerous edge to it, shudder excitement flooding through me.

“An alliance.” I find my voice finally. She pauses, brow furrowing in confusion. I keep my eyes focused on her braid and almost miss her asking my name. “Clove.” I tell her, giving her an easy smile. She nods turning away from me to focus on her knots once more.

“I’m Katniss.” She tells me, I wonder if this is her way of saying yes. Of accepting my alliance.

“So allies?” I ask flashing her the boldest career grin I can muster. She watches me speculatively before shrugging.

“I’ll think about it.” Is all she says before her hands stop what they are doing she turns disappearing out the room.

___

Katniss sighs, knife scraping at the branch sharpening it into a point. I watch silently until she looks up a suspicious frown on her face. “What are you looking at?” She asks her voice laced with annoyance. I shrug, spinning the knife in my hand.

“What are you doing?” I ask watching as her hands grip tighter around the knife, my knife, the one I gave her. Katniss rolls her eyes containing her movements.

“Getting us dinner.” Is all she says. The branch is sharp now she taps it nodding in approval. “Pass the wire.” I stare at her hands for a long moment slowly raising my gaze to realise she asked me something. She sighs impatiently reaching for the coil of wire between us. I realise what she asked me and grab it at the same time she does.   
My fingers touch hers and the sudden warmth makes me drop the wire immediately. She stares at me strangely, licking her lips, a cough escaping them. I watch as she turns away refusing to look at me as she continues her work. All the while I watch her expert hands construct the trap.

\---

Her eyes are closed, she rests just a few inches from me leaning against the tree. She fell asleep some hours ago finally giving in to exhaustion. She hasn’t trusted me until now I wonder how she made it two days without sleep. She lets out a small sigh her head slumping towards me falling onto my shoulder, I tense glancing down at her to make sure she’s still asleep, fire dances across my skin where her head is in contact with me. 

Slowly at first but then with more confidence I pull my arm free wrapping it around her. She sighs and if I’m not very much mistaken snuggles closer to me. My heart twists and I tighten my hold on her, suddenly filled with an intense desire to protect her. I gulp releasing a shuddering breath, heart speeding up as I try to push the feeling down. The feeling doesn’t leave, I’m left with it long after she awakens, pulling away from me as if I’ve burned her. Her eyes shooting me with that look of mistrust and dislike, my heart sinks to see her look at me that way. She doesn’t speak to me that day.

\---

Katniss wheezes her hand clutching the bow, her face covered in welts as she struggles to stay conscious. I try to pull her forwards we need to keep moving, she flinches away from my touch, falling to her knees. She screams and the sound sets my teeth on edge as I glance around the forest pulling a knife free in case anyone hears and attacks.

Through the haze of her hallucinations she seems to sense my knife for she shrinks away eyes on my full of utter terror. I shake my head, take her cheek in my hand falling to my knees beside her. “I’m not going to hurt you.” I tell her over and over she struggles against me her lips trembling. She starts talking, babbling at first but soon forming fill sentences describing the horrors she can see. “It’s not real.” I pull her towards me my knife falling to the ground. She whimpers against my chest curling into me before losing consciousness. “It’s not real.” I whisper burying my face in the top of her head. 

I carry her further away I know Cato and Marvel will be looking for us. The bow she was so desperate to acquire slung over my shoulder alongside the quiver of arrows.   
My own body is in agony as I move. Tracker jacker stings litter my skin. The venom clouding my mind and making me see things that aren’t there, fear courses through my bloodstream. I gasp tripping over my own feet. “It’s not real.” I whisper to myself as my head falls onto Katniss’ chest the world becomes dark.

\---

Something is different between us. I’m not sure what it is but since waking from the tracker jacker induced nightmare Katniss has opened up a little, her eyes no longer carry the same mistrust they once did when they look at me. Instead I often find her watching me with curiosity. 

It turns out she is skilled with a bow, incredibly so. I find myself staring when she hunts, unable to breathe as the sun shines gently through trees illuminating her, making her look more like a goddess than a poor, underfed girl from District 12. She catches me watching a few times, when she does I’m gifted with a head tilt and a half smile. Her eyes soft and maybe holding a question. 

I help her hunt, although throwing knives do not have the range of arrows. She pauses one day and surprises me by placing the bow in my hands without explanation she moves my arms into position showing me how to stand and line up a shot, hands lingering perhaps a moment more than necessary on my arm and hip. The fire returns full force and when I release the arrow it hits a tree and snaps. We decide to keep to our own weapons after that.

\---

“Why are you always looking at me like that?” The question catches me off guard, I hadn’t realised I’d been staring again. She sits against the cave wall one leg outstretched the other bent under her. She watches me with genuine curiosity.

I shrug, mouth going dry, turning away to examine my knife. She’s expecting an answer, I don’t know what to say. I’m drawn to her although why I don’t know. She huffs at my silence turning away shivering in the cold air.

I find myself moving closer to her, she doesn’t resist when I wrap an arm around her instead resting her head on my shoulder as I rub her arm trying to encourage some heat back into it. She shivers again drawing herself closer to me. “You stare at me too.” I point out, she nods her shoulders tensing.

“You’re nice to look at.” Is all she says, heat floods through me and I’m infinity glad she can’t see my face.

“You’re nice to look at too.” I squeeze her shoulder, she doesn’t respond. I wonder if she has the same inexplicable grin on her face as I do.

\--- 

It’s down to the last three. Myself, Katniss, and Cato. I know I should’ve left her a long time ago. This alliance can only last so long and now it’s getting increasingly likely we’ll be the last two.

The areas darkens although it’s far from night time. The wolf mutts come soon after. White fangs snapping towards us, drool spraying in white froth as they shake their heads. It’s the eyes that are the true horror. Eyes that are human, hold human intelligence and human hate. Eyes of the dead tributes,some dead by my own hand, stare at us from within the mutts.

I grab her hand pulling her forward as we run, they are too large to fight and we do not have enough knives or arrows. They chase us to a clearing Cato bursts out the other side spotting us immediately.

The mutts hang around the edges snapping from the bushes if anyone goes to near. The fight is short Katniss and I automatically acting as a team, each predicting the others actions accurately. As the cannon sounds I realise what I’ve done. Slowly I raise my head to meet Katniss’ gaze. She knows too, she hesitates half raising her bow an arrow already nocked but lowers it again before it even points my way. 

We’re the last two. One of us must die. My knife is still in my hand I could throw it into her skull. I could end it now. I could go home and yet… My hand shakes I drop the knife, Katniss’ eyes widen she frowns fiddling with her bow before dropping it. 

“Why?” The question falls from her lips, her eyes showing confusion. I stare at her the question echoing through my mind over and over. Why did I want an alliance with her? Why did I stay with her? Why didn’t I kill her a long time ago? Why am I not killing her now? The answer is not one I’d have expected in a million years but when it enters my mind I know it is true.

Unable to stop myself I move forwards towards her. She tenses taking a step back l, eyes showing some of that old mistrust. I’m not sure what I plan to do when I stand in front of her. My body almost acting on autopilot. I lean in standing on my toes so my lips can reach hers. Our lips graze eachother, she pulls back her eyes wide her mouth open slightly. Her arms move slowly, wrapping around my waist and suddenly I’m pulled close to her, her lips crashing against mine sending a explosion through my entire body.

I’m on fire, I’m burning but I don’t care. I’m drawn to her, every inch of her. Somewhere at the back of my mind I note how stupid this is. How dangerous this is but a far larger part of my mind just wants to let the flames engulf me. Like a moth to a flame I know this will cause my demise and yet I still crave the fire, her fire.

We part panting, foreheads lent against each other. I meet her gaze, she lets out a long breath her hands slipping into mine as if that’s where they belong. We both know this cannot be. We both know one must die and soon the yapping of the mutts is getting louder they close in on us. She searches my eyes looking for something.

“Together?” Her voice is soft her gaze not leaving mine for a second. I understand what she means I take a deep breath nodding.

“Together.” I agree her fingers tighten on mine I feel her hands tremble. One hand slips out of mine while the other grips my hand tightly. We stare over to the wolf pack that snarls and paces.

She turns to me raising the hand clasped in mine and kissing my knuckles. I close my eyes just as teeth sink into my throat. A cannon sounds signalling her death. Tears spring to my eyes despite myself. The wolf mutt shakes its head an almighty pain shoots through my body and then I feel nothing at all.


End file.
